


house amicitia

by seaofolives



Series: As Time Goes By and Other Stories [4]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gladnis Fanwork Bingo (Final Fantasy XV), M/M, POV Ignis Scientia, Post-Episode Ignis Verse 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:47:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27432256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seaofolives/pseuds/seaofolives
Summary: “Iris.” Ignis put down the ladle and caught the younger Amicitia lightly by her shoulder and her arm before she could tilt the carton to the pot. “Thereʼs no need for you to do this. You must be tired from the hunt.”“Everyoneʼs tired these days, Iggy,” Iris pointed out, amber orbs gazing up at him. “Weʼre not that different. Besides,” she offered a smile, “when Noct comes back with the light, weʼll be doing this more often at home, anyway. Right?”(a quiet conversation with his boyfriendʼs younger sister paints a likely future for ignis scientia)
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia, Iris Amicitia & Ignis Scientia
Series: As Time Goes By and Other Stories [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1915984
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	house amicitia

**Author's Note:**

> for the gladnis fanworks bingo! also i missed the assassin's festival so everything i know about it came from the wiki lol
> 
> prompts: assassin's festival, healing, new recipe, family, episode ignis  
> month: april

“Where is that?” The frustration of having to navigate the kitchen through blurry eyes, as if some challenge required him to be stuck in a bubble, was teasing his already-frayed patience. Every jar he found, he would bring first closely to his squinting eyes and then further back until it was one with the blobs of shape that surrounded him before he held it just right in front of him. For some with colorful pictures and loud texts, this was easy. But for others where he was trying to read the fine print… 

Ignis sooner gave up, nearly dropping the same jar to the kitchen top while he braced his weight against its edge, massaging his eyes under his thumbs. “Curse these eyes,” he hissed to the humid air. 

At the creak of the door, he snapped out of his brooding thoughts, grabbed a different jar (the one he could read) and made for the lonesome pot simmering on the old gas stove to sprinkle about a pinch in it. He heard the visitor step through, pushing the door shut as gently as they could. The astute Talcott was the one who told him who she was. 

“Ms. Iris.” 

“Hi, Talcott. What happened to Gladdy?” 

“Uh, he…” Talcott trailed off. Ignis had to remind himself to breathe, and keep a bleary eye on the warm…orange…concoction he was stirring in the pot. Or was that the early dusk falling through the tainted window of _The Leville?_ It was nearly done, anyway, for better or for worse. “He got attacked near the powerplant. It was someone dressed as the legendary assassin and since itʼs festival week…” There would be more than one person dressed as the assassin. 

“So theyʼre still out there?” Iris gasped. The hush in her voice told Ignis sheʼd tried to keep it silent, but sheʼd never been taught to be modest about her expressions since she was young. “So the people I saw going around in assassin clothes…it could have been any one of them?” A breath came through her. “Lestallum wonʼt do anything about this?” 

“Authorities say theyʼre looking for the attacker, of course, but…well, this is an important festival here. So we donʼt think theyʼll cut it short, especially since everyone hasnʼt been in this much spirit since His Majesty disappeared with the daylight.” 

A long sigh. “I see,” she sulked. Ignis ladled the soup onto his tasting bowl and took a sip from the rim. Tangy with a punch of heat. Not what he intended but it would do for a man who needed to get his strength back. “Is that Iggy in the kitchen?” 

“Yes.” 

Iris appeared through the doorway not long after. Somehow, between the last time theyʼd seen each other, she managed to add another inch to her hair and the tattooed wings on her back. She smiled and waved, then stepped towards his side to look into the pot. “Whatʼs cookinʼ?” 

That question made Ignis laugh a little at himself. He surrendered his taster to Iris when she pried it from his fingers to finish the thing. “Unfortunately I donʼt know it yet,” he confessed. “With the emergence of stronger daemons, some of the ingredients I had in mind have grown scarce. But for now, I have tomatoes, chickatrice leg, some vegetables and then I cooked the rice in the same pot.” 

“Itʼs _gooood_ ,” she sang, putting down the bowl to the chopping board. “So what else do you need to do?” Iris made for the sink to wash her hands. 

“Some cream to give it some depth. Some chives just to add a bit more color.” 

“Iʼm on it,” Iris announced, snatching up something that looked green in his peripheral to run it through the knife quickly on the chopping board. “Will this do?” 

“Ah, a handful is fine. I just need it to top the soup.”

“Got it.” She laid the knife next to the chives to grab a carton nearby. “How much cream?” 

“Iris.” Ignis put down the ladle and caught the younger Amicitia lightly by her shoulder and her arm before she could tilt the carton to the pot. “Thereʼs no need for you to do this. You must be tired from the hunt.” 

“Everyoneʼs tired these days, Iggy,” Iris pointed out, amber orbs gazing up at him. “Weʼre not that different. Besides,” she offered a smile, “when Noct comes back with the light, weʼll be doing this more often at home, anyway. Right?” Rubbing elbows in the kitchen, making food for…well, the house, he supposed. Whoever that constituted—one man, two…kids or whatever. 

“I know you and Gladdy donʼt talk about it since you have a lot of work to do,” Iris slid free from Ignisʼ grip so she could clasp him firmly and tell him with deliberate seriousness, “but at this point, you are officially my brother-in-law, anyway. So you donʼt have to feel like a stranger around me. Okay, Iggy?” 

“Youʼre a funny lady, Iris,” Ignis chuckled, sparing her a smile. “A splash will do.” Iris gave the cream a quick trip around the pot, then. “Thank you. The chives, weʼll add to the bowl to serve.” He stirred the cream in. 

“Are these things okay, then?” Iris started packing the dishes and the measuring cups onto the chopping board. “Ooh, you put cayenne in there, too?” 

Ignis snapped to her shape. “Where is it?” She waved the same jar he had discarded from earlier, the one whose print he couldnʼt read. He huffed out timidly. “I see thatʼs the cayenne.” 

“Should we add it—” She flipped the top. 

“I already added a bit more pepper, unfortunately,” Ignis stopped her, putting on a smile to mask his disappointment. “Any more heat may ruin the balance.” 

“Oh.” Whether or not she intended it, Ignis could detect a hint of the same emotion in her voice, even when her face was no better than a palette of colors to him. “Oh well.” She was gazing longingly at the errant ingredient. “Maybe next time, then. You know, we should totally just write the items in big letters so itʼs easy for you to read.” Was she trying to cheer him up? 

“I think that is more trouble than itʼs worth,” Ignis chuckled grayly. He searched for his tasting bowl. “Besides, my eyesight is improving. It will only be a matter of time.” He hoped. 

“Thereʼs nothing wrong with making things easier until then, though.” With slender digits, rougher now for the work they did, Iris redirected his left arm until his own fingers could enclose around the taster. “Weʼre all just trying to help out here, right?” If only. If only that was the case but… 

Bitterness twisted his smile. “Iris,” Ignis began, almost suddenly. “The truth is that I was with him when he was attacked,” he finally revealed. “I heard the man coming but could not find him. Your brother sought only to protect me and took the knife in my stead. All I heard after was…the man growling, ‘long live the kingʼ.” The last part was hissed through his black frown. “And then Gladio was on the ground, and the assailant was running away.” He shook his head. “I would take care of him, of course, even without the weight of my guilt but because of my damn eyes—” There had been no reason for Gladio to get hurt like that, if not for—

“Weʼre getting there, right?” Iris stopped him, those strong fingers around his wrist drawing his spiraling thoughts to her reassuring grip. Ignis couldnʼt see it clearly, but he knew she was smiling, and that her amber eyes caught the daylight that was fading with the sun. Despite what he had allowed to happen to her brother… 

“Iris, I truly am sorry,” he told her. 

“Itʼs not your fault,” she insisted, squeezing him tighter with a shake of her head. “You did what you had to do just to protect Noct, just as my brother did what he had to do to protect you both.” She reached up to pat his cheek. “Besides, youʼre here, right? You arenʼt that much better yet…but itʼs thanks to you that Gladdy is.” Was it? 

Such warm words could only coax his smile wider. If Gladio was all the better, then… 

Three quiet knocks brought their attention to the vague figure by the door. 

“Mr. Gladioʼs awake.” It was Talcott. They were just in time. 

He went ahead to help him up for his meal while Iris and Ignis prepared him his bowl. Ignis let the younger Amicitia bring the tray to her brother while he washed his hands and put on his tinted visors, the ones issued by the doctor to help his eyes heal. Supposedly they helped him see better, as well, but that application seemed…limited at best. 

Still, he had to be grateful that it included allowing him to see the person he loved the most, surrounded by the people who loved him especially, as well. 

The ones who put a glow on his cheeks, dispelling that slight pallor that had colored him since the attack. With his scarred chest and shoulders bared to prove to the world that he had survived worse, the memory of his weakness, how he fell to his knees so easily without a fight, bleeding through his guts, seemed so distant—like a dream that belonged to a different life. A darker life. 

There was no darkness to be had in this room, for all that purple dusk now enveloped them. Even though Ignis couldnʼt put his best in his food, his heart felt light, just seeing him smile and bump fists with his sister and their young friend, mouth full with his soup. He looked like he was enjoying it, at least. 

“Ahh,” Iris piped, standing up straight to swing her hands to her back. “See? I told you House Amicitiaʼs all here.” So he was a part of it now. 

A part of a family after standing alone for the better part of his life. He almost missed this—if heʼd allowed himself to be defeated by the Ring, and by Ardyn not too long ago, he might have. And then there would be no Gladio, no soup, no Iris pulling him through his thoughts, no second chances… 

So Ignis would enjoy the feeling of warmth that was rightly his, and hide the smile on his face as he started for Gladioʼs side, the man appearing to straighten up himself to look more presentable. “How are you feeling, Gladio?” 

“A lot better now, thanks to you guys,” Gladio replied, matching him mood for mood. “You?” His voice was quite soft, and so soothing. Ignis deserved that, as well, and those loving fingers that fell so lightly along his hand on the bed. “Iris told me she caught you in the kitchen again.” 

“Yes, and for the first time in months, I came out feeling good about myself,” Ignis assured him. “I can see better now, though I still have a ways to go before I can return to the Regalia.” 

“Donʼt rush it.” Gladio patted his hand and squeezed it, sending a flurry of warmth up to his chest. “Not like we got anywhere to go, anyway. Besides, I finally found a car that doesnʼt feel like itʼll pop my knees if I sit behind the wheel too long.” 

“Ooh,” Iris flew up to her feet suddenly, nose to her screen, “Aranea just arrived. Talcott,” their eyes flew to the young man who stood rigidly in attention, “you wanted to meet her, right?” 

“Hey,” Gladio started to laugh, though he kept it easy, his hand moving to the gauze on his side. “Donʼt get too excited, kid. You better manage your expectations while youʼre ahead.” 

“I just wanted to meet her, thatʼs all,” Talcott explained defensively, though there was no way he could guise his rigid, flustered voice when he marched for the giggling Irisʼ side. While much has changed around Eos, after all, Aranea Highwindʼs reputation wasnʼt one of them. 

“Do send her our regards,” Ignis called to them, just as they started out of the room. He waved back when Iris raised her hand. 

As soon as they were alone, Ignis returned his attention to Gladio, particularly the bowl of soup which looked like a large beast had inhaled it while no one was looking. A heartening sight. “Eat up. Youʼll need to regain your strength.” 

“Let me see your eyes,” Gladio said suddenly. He always wanted to see his eyes, though. 

So this was nothing new. Still, Ignis made a play of sighing and restraining an obvious frown just so Gladio could push out the lower of his lips, the one time he could look like a sad puppy. It always made Ignis laugh. He was always more than happy to give in after that little show. He slipped off his glasses. 

Gladio laid a careful hand on his cheek to tilt his face towards him, amber eyes looking deeply into his irises. If his eyes were the moon, his heart was the ocean which swelled with the rising tide. “It looks greener, all right.” 

“You always say that, though.” And Ignis always liked to hear it. 

“Donʼt I always say the truth?” Gladio returned to him with a peeking smile. “Hm…hold on, thereʼs something in it.” He leaned a little closer. 

“What?” Ignis tensed, trying not to look too alarmed at those frowning honey eyes of his. “What is it?” 

“Let me just…” Warm lips landed gently on his left eye. A kiss. 

How he shuddered, a delightful tingling running down his back and arms, making him feel so soft and loved for all that he lacked. Ignis couldnʼt bite back the sigh that escaped him, lingering for as long as he could. 

Gladio parted from him with a smile. “There. I kissed it better.” He did. Thanks to him, Ignis could see the light. 

Ignis nodded to tell him that it had. “Iʼll do the same to you,” he said, putting his fingers on his chin. 

When he pulled him close, their lips met in a grateful union.


End file.
